For homeowners looking to remediate earthquake damage there may be extra costs caused by contamination of the land where foundation solutions involve the disturbance or removal of soil. These can include, but are not limited to, the costs associated with engaging an environmental expert, undertaking further investigation and removing the contaminated soil. The cost to remove and dispose of contaminated soil can be in excess of $100,000. You can find more information about contaminated land at www.mfe.govt.nz/land.

The Ministry for the Environment has identified a number of industrial, agricultural and horticultural activities that are known to use hazardous substances which could potentially contaminate land. These activities are known as HAIL activities (Hazardous Activities and Industries List).

Land subject to the migration of hazardous substances from adjacent land in a quantity that could be a risk to human health or the environment;

Land that has been subject to the intentional or accidental release of a hazardous substance in sufficient quantity that could be a risk to human health or the environment.

Common examples of HAIL sites are land that has been used for the production of gas and coal products, historic sawmill and timber treatment plants, old sheep dips, historic mining sites and historic landfills. Your property’s Land Information Memorandum (LIM) report and the Listed Land Use Register (www.llur.ecan.govt.nz) will usually identify whether your property has been subject to a HAIL activity.

If you are applying for a permit, building consent or resource consent for land that has been subject to a HAIL activity, the National Environmental Standards (NES) for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health (Resource Management Regulations 2011) will apply (http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/rma/nes-assessing-soil-protect-health). This will ensure that contaminated soil is identified, assessed and managed in a way that does not endanger human health or the environment. This process can be very expensive.

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Testimonials

This is what Grant and his team do, they do it every day, and they know how to beat these people at this ‘game’…

We live in Blenheim, and the house (purchased in December 2009) was a rental for us , which our son lived in. We knew our assessments were wrong, and our house should be a rebuild, not a repair, but we didn’t know who to turn to, or how we were going to argue our case, and prove EQC and SR wrong. This is what Grant and his team do, they do it every day, and they know how to beat these people at this ‘game’. It still takes a long time, and you have to be prepared to go through the process, but if you do, you will get what

John and Heather McMurdo

He filled us with a sense of confidence that immediately made us feel at ease…

It’s no exaggeration to say that the team at Grant Shand changed our lives. When we first contacted Andrew Ferguson we had pretty much reached rock bottom. We’d been fighting the EQC and our insurance company for more than four years, and getting nowhere. Our young family were living in a house that was dark, cold, and verging on unhealthy, and we were all but ready to give in and accept the meagre offer on the table. Then Andrew stepped in. And took control! He filled us with a sense of confidence that immediately made us feel at ease. He was at once both empathetic and forthright, taking a

Phoebe & Tim CroninChristchurch

His expertise and no-nonsense approach allowed us to start living again…

“Following the Canterbury earthquakes, we moved out for an 8 week EQC repair, which after 12 months had still not started. We finally went overcap only to find ourselves back to square one (worse in fact) with our insurance company. Dealing with the insurance company and assessors became a fulltime job. The stress of these dealings, and not being able to make progress so long after (while trying to hold down the ‘day job’ and look after a young family), was worse than the actual earthquakes themselves. We engaged Grant Shand, and honestly it was the best decision we ever made during the entire process, no question. His expertise and

Roly & Karen SteedmanChristchurch

Success!

We recently completed our earthquake settlement with our insurers, almost seven years after the event! This has obviously been a stressful and overly long process, but at the end of it we are pleased with what has been achieved for us. Credit for that goes to the team at Grant Shand who have been in our corner whenever necessary. I would personally like to thank Grant and Paul who have supported me and been generous with their time and availability.

Sarah ThomsonClientChristchurch

We have no doubt that we chose the right team to fight for us!

Prior to contacting Grant Shand, we had tried all avenues in attempting to progress our earthquake claim. There was a lot at stake for us. Grant knew what steps to take and acted with great alacrity and efficacy. He was very clear in all communications and always had time for us, and our many questions. His skill and determination got us a successful outcome. We have no doubt that we chose the right team to fight for us.

Geoff Knight and Kristi Calder ClientsChristchurch

The worry and stress was taken out of our hands…

For almost 7 years we battled EQC, Fletchers and Tower Insurance. We seemed to be getting nowhere at all. Then close friends of ours told us that they had engaged Grant and his team and had excellent results. So we decided that we needed to also talk to Grant and the team. When we sent through our documentation, we were advised the best course of action, and from then on the worry and stress was taken out of our hands. Grant and the team have been great, they were always prompt and clear with their communication. Thanks to the Team working hard and negotiating with EQC and Tower, we managed